• NASDAQ 0.00
  • DOW
  • S&P 500 0.00
  • 1 CAD = 0.9682 USD

The Price of Iniquity … Toward the FLDS Members

2008-07-15 14:28:41

by Jim Patrick

 

[Editor’s note: The following article originally appeared on Kurt Schulzke’s blog I Perceive and is republished here by permission of the author.]
 
One cornerstone of American justice is set out in Genesis 18, when Abraham parleys with God over the destruction of some cities. Abraham asked,
 
    “Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?” —Genesis 18:23-24 KJV
 
When God answered he would not destroy the city under those circumstances, Abraham dickers the number down to 45, 30, 20, and finally to ten upright people; God replies “I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.”
 
We know ten decent people were not found; we know Sodom and Gomorrah were obliterated. We also know God spared that one, solitary righteous person.
 
So in America criminal charges are against individuals, not against groups, races, or religions; our Constitution prohibits punishing a person’s family even for the worst of crimes.
 
Interestingly, also in the American legal system is the term sodomy, derived from that city’s name, meaning ‘acts of unnatural vice’. Most people believe the cities were punished for sexual deviance, but the account says it was only one part of their offenses.
 
    “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. Ezekiel 16:49-50 KJV
 
Jewish accounts outside the Bible (Abraham and Lot were Jewish after all) say the inhabitants’ worst sins were cruelty and inhospitality; that they “hated foreigners and avoided any contact with others.” —Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 1:194-195
 
So Christians may wonder about the recent events around Eldorado, Texas. It’s there that a group of people —believers in Christ— who live more closely than us to the tradition of Abraham, Joseph, and the patriarchs were maligned and attacked.
 
It’s there the might of the state government was thrown against them in an attempt to scatter their families and destroy their beliefs. Hundreds of children were split from their families, nursing babies literally ripped from their mothers’ breasts.
 
To date there’s been no fault found against these people, the only warrant dismissed when the state discovered the accused hadn’t been in Texas this century. There will be some fault found though; no group of people can withstand such intense scrutiny without some infractions discovered.
 
Yet in balance, are there ten righteous people on the YFZ Ranch, a people who did nothing against their neighbors? More significantly, can ten righteous people be found in Schleicher County?
 
Many people may think that conditions changed with the new promise given by Jesus, and in that they would be correct. How it changes may surprise, because Christ raised the expectations of how you would treat your neighbor.
 
    Jesus said unto him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matt 22:37-40 KJV
 
No more is it important that neighbors be accepted; Christ orders us to love our neighbors and that doing so is “like unto”, is similar to, loving God Himself.
 
Pilot and school board member J.D. Doyle flew over the new FLDS ranch every week to take new photos; then posted them on the web. Not one other rancher in the county would put up with that sort of invasion of privacy; and there’s no owner in the county Doyle would dream of doing that to.
 
The Eldorado newspaper, run by Randy and Kathy Mankin, never let an opportunity slip by to air allegations against the people living at YFZ ranch. The Mankins gave full credibility to anyone attacking their new neighbors, no matter how outlandish or ridiculous the claims.
 
In much the same way, Sheriff David Doran never directly accused the residents of YFZ ranch himself, but played both sides by passing along the worst of anti-FLDS claims, holding press conferences featuring hate-mongers, and publicized his trips to Utah and Arizona to ‘investigate other abuses’ by members of this faith.
 
After stoking the flames of hatred and discontent for four years, defying the very essence of Christian law, the county is now acting surprised at events and sobbing about the price they incurred.
 
From a Christian perspective, the debt is steeper than the $7 million costs. When someone demanded Eldorado do something because the FLDS were practicing polygamy and living in sin, Mayor Nikolauk responded: “Two thousand years ago this young fella stood up in defense of a whore and said he who is without sin cast the first stone. I know there are some sinless folks here so why don’t you stand up so we can applaud you.”
 
Nobody stood up, so we know area residents remembered one of Christ’s’ lessons, a harsh reprimand to traditional Jewish law. Harsher yet was Christ’s attitude toward the inhospitable, towards people uncharitable to their neighbors and hostile toward strangers.
 
    “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.” —Matt 10:14-15 KJV
 
More tolerable to be a Sodomite than to be one who is inhospitable. Ouch!
 
7 comments
 
1 Chai Tea { 07.08.08 at 5:06 am }
 
    That was an amazing and eye-opening read! Thank you so much for posting it.
 
    Wish all the FLDS haters would come to this board and read it!
 
2 mypc { 07.08.08 at 8:36 am }
 
    I also wish people would read their bibles,but not wish that the hatemongers come here and spread their vile remarks. God is our judge and jury.
 
3 Kathy { 07.08.08 at 9:51 am }
 
    Well said once again! Everyone needs to read this. I want to see it printed in newspapers and read on TV all over this nation. (I don’t always get what I want, however, but I can dream can’t I?)
 
4 April 38 { 07.08.08 at 10:33 am }
 
    Outstanding.
    And thought provoking. I wonder what is in store for Schleicher county, beyond bankruptcy. One can readily imagine a tornado coming through. If I lived there, I think I’d be putting my property up for sale. (My guess is that the tornado would skip the Mayor’s house.)
 
5 Abiding Joy { 07.08.08 at 12:53 pm }
 
    Kudos to the Mayor. We need more men in office like that. May we have more men and women obeying the law of God. Great article!
 
6 Bethie { 07.08.08 at 5:23 pm }
 
    Great article! “Truth Will Prevail” should reprint it on their site.
 
7 To Kurt: { 07.11.08 at 5:04 pm }
 
    I tried emailing you with this question personally two days ago, but for some reason it was sent back by default both times.
 
    Just wanted to say thank you and God bless you, and to ask if we could have your permission to submit this article for republication on our people’s site?
 
    We didn’t know how to go about contacting Jim Patrick, but would appreciate if you could give him our sincere thanks and appreciation for his kindness and fair-mindedness. Though we have most often remained silent through what has happened, we are not asleep to the efforts of the honest in heart. We know the Lord will bless you all for it, and may we be worthy.
 
    Thank you, all.
 


Printer Friendly Version


Comments